DTM Valencia 2011: Preview

• The Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia is hosting its second DTM race

• Between 2006 and 2009, four DTM races were held at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, two of which were won by Mercedes-Benz (Jamie Green and Paul di Resta)

Comments on the ninth race of the 2011 DTM season from:

Bruno Spengler (28, Canada, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class):- started from the front row in Valencia last year- finished second in the first DTM race in Valencia

“I like the Valencia circuit a lot. It’s extremely challenging and is especially demanding for the brakes. Like in Oschersleben, it’s very important to use the kerbs correctly. I’ve put my retirement from the last race behind me now – motor racing is unpredictable, and unfortunately you have to expect bad luck from time to time. I’m focused on the future when we may find that fortune smiles on us once again. I’ll be attacking in the last two races and going all-out to win the championship – there is still everything to play for. My team and I are not giving up.”

Jamie Green (29, England, AMG Mercedes C-Class):- won the 2007 DTM race in Barcelona- posted the second fastest lap of the 2010 race in Valencia

“The track in Valencia is still relatively new on the calendar, which makes it all the more important to help the engineers get the setup right during the free practice sessions on Friday and Saturday. The corners here have varying cambers, which makes the setup process a bit trickier. It’s a nice track. In 2010, I was driving a year-old car but still posted the second-fastest race lap. I’d like to build on that this year.”

Ralf Schumacher (36, Germany, Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class):- has completed numerous test laps around Valencia’s permanent race track in Formula One- was in fourth position at Oschersleben when he was forced to retire and has finished in the points four times this season, including two podiums

“I have been to Valencia many times in my motor racing career, mostly testing Formula One cars. This track has a variety of corners which have to be taken at different speeds. It makes big demands on both the driver and the car, especially in terms of braking. This year, we are visiting the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for the second time in the DTM. I don’t have particularly fond memories of my DTM debut there after failing to finish. So it’s even more important to get a good result this year.”

Gary Paffett (30, England, THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class):- started from the second row in Valencia last year- made up 14 positions at Oschersleben, driving skilfully in difficult conditions to finish fourth after starting from P18 on the grid

“I know the track in Valencia pretty well – we contested a DTM race there last year for the first time, but I’ve also put in plenty of test miles in a Formula One car. I had a good qualifying last year, but unfortunately things didn’t go too well in the race itself. After two consecutive fourth-place finishes, I’d like to pick up on my decent qualifying performance from last year and maybe get a first podium of this season.”

David Coulthard (40, Scotland, Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class):- knows the Ricardo Tormo Circuit from numerous Formula One test sessions- achieved his fourth Top Ten finish of the season at Oschersleben

“Valencia is a beautiful city, and the track is technically very demanding. In order to set a fast lap time, it’s important for the car to be well-balanced and for the driver to get into a good rhythm. I know the circuit from having completed so many test laps in Formula One here, and I’m looking forward to my second DTM race in front of the Spanish fans.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:“In the last two races, things have not gone as we hoped and Bruno Spengler has lost 16 points relative to his main rival, Martin Tomczyk. On the first occasion, it was because the rain at Brands Hatch lasted longer than forecast, which meant that our setup was unsuitable; the situation was also not helped by Bruno starting from a lower grid position because of a penalty. Despite that setback, he was on course to re-take the championship lead for the first two-thirds of the subsequent wet race in Oschersleben, until one of his front shock absorbers failed, which cost him second place and eight points. In all honesty, our defeats at Brands Hatch and Oschersleben were self-inflicted and we missed out on points that we should have scored. Consequently, we’ll be battling all the harder in the last two races to recover Bruno’s nine-point deficit, which has come about because of our failures. It won’t be easy, but it is feasible. I’ve already seen a Formula One world championship where a 17-point lead going into the last two races wasn’t enough. We will push harder than ever and maintain our belief that we can win. If everybody else considers us to be the outsiders, that will only strengthen our determination.”